"Why I Went to COP15" - My Short Contribution to Planet Positive's 2020 Vision Campaign

planetwatch

Jan 12, 2010

It was in the wee hours of Saturday December 19th that a bleary-eyed UNFCCC secretary-general Yvo de Boer was putting the best face he could on the Copenhagen Accord for the remaining press at the Bella Center in Copenhagen - the final official press conference from COP15. I was not among those remaining press, instead making my way on a dark and cold Copenhagen morning to the bus, subway, and airplane that would take me home.

Still less than a month from the experience, there remain many notes to sort through and experiences to ponder as I figure what I saw and heard throughout the Bella Center and Copenhagen those two weeks of COP15 and what it all means - both to me personally and for the world in general. My press pass sitting here amongst those notes and materials gathered over ten days are food for thought in the aftermath of COP15.

Generally considered a highly flawed process leading to an equally flawed outcome, COP15 also introduced the world - and myself - to a growing movement of citizen activism and civil society action that counters and challenges the slow-moving and largely inadequate international political process. For me, that was one of the most positive aspects of my Copenhagen experience - witnessing the growing grassroots movement ready to challenge old and unsustainable ways of thinking and living.

One such example was the brief meeting I had with Christina Wood of Planet Positive, a UK-based advocacy organization seeking to leverage the efforts of the world community to address climate change, as well as helping all of us to envision a better world in the future. How taking action now to reduce our footprint on this earth will lead to a fuller and better life in the future - focusing on the positive.

I met Christina at the Klimaforum in Copenhagen, billed as the "citizen's alternative" to the official COP15 climate conference with its tightly controlled access. Christina explained the work of Planet Positive, specifically the launch of their 2020 Vision Campaign. The campaign is a vehicle for business leaders, activists, celebrities, school children, and citizens from around the world to tell their story and express their vision for a better world - and inspirational message of hope through action.

The following video is my impromptu, unrehearsed contribution to the effort, filmed by Christina inside the Klimaforum. You can offer your 2020 Vision too, and help inspire others to envision a positive future.

------------Unlike others with press passes to COP15, nobody was paying me to be there, so what reason did I have for making the trip to Denmark?

The 2020 Vision Opportunity

Planet Positive would like you to provide your 2020 Vision. They are inviting environmentalists, scientists, business leaders, politicians, celebrities and school children to create and upload their 2020 Vision in preparation for the launch of the campaign.